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Charlie Russell as Isabelle and James Esler as Stephen Wraysford. Picture: Pamela Raith Birdsong Malvern Theatres **** Sebastian Faulks’ famous novel has been skilfully adapted for the stage by Rachel Wagstaff. It is a powerful but complex World War I fiction. This production at Malvern is gripping from start to finish. In the first of three acts, Stephen Wraysford has a passionate and very explicit affair with Isabelle Azaire, the wife of a French factory owner in Amiens. Isabelle is trapped in a loveless marriage. Her husband René is a cold and harsh businessman who is confronted by an impoverished workforce. They are threatening strikes as he proposes to introduce machinery that will intensify their poverty. The outbreak of World War I breaks up all of their lives. Stephen is a lieutenant who identifies strongly with the men in his company, most of whom will die in the unspeakably awful trench warfare around the River Somme. He is however saved from the jaws of death himself by one of his men, but his former life cannot be put back together after the hostilities have finished. Like so much literature inspired by the World War I in particular, the utter futility and folly of war, the unspeakable suffering it causes in the lives of ordinary human citizens, are central themes in the novel and this production. The visually adaptable stage, the powerful sound effects and the excellent lighting create the sense of violence , the shock and the excruciating pain of life for the ordinary soldiers. This is an intensely dramatic production. The principal actors are all strong and provide powerful performances. Charlie Russell (Isabelle) has a stillness and poise that masks her anguish and pain. James Esler (Stephen Wraysford), in His professional stage debut, is both human and humane at the centre of the action. His performance is strong and hugely emotional. The passionate sensitivity to the suffering of others around him is strongly conveyed. Natalie Radmall-Quirke (Jeanne) is Isabelle’s dignified and poised sister. Max Bowden (Jack Farbrace) is another central hero in the play. We lost some of his lines but his natural earthy performance was strong, human to the core. His character develops through the evening as he matures through suffering. There are no weak links in this cast. The use of song, of letter-writing from the trenches, dry loud explosions and the prayers of the desperate are all very moving and powerful. The complex plot of the novel is adapted for what remains a lengthy show, but there is humour and humanity, love and loss, courage and sacrifice. Alastair Whatley directs with customary skill. There are adult themes and nudity in the show. The production runs at Malvern Theatres to 23-11-24 Tim Crow 20-11-24 Birdsong returns to the Midlands at
Birmingham Rep 27 January-1 February 2025 |
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